Bishop's Palace, Lichfield
Encyclopedia
Bishops Palace is a 17th century building situated in the north east corner of the Cathedral Close
in Lichfield
, Staffordshire
in the United Kingdom
.
The current building replaced a medieval Bishop's Palace built in the 14th century for Bishop Langton
. The first palace was destroyed during the English Civil War
and rebuilt in 1687 as the current building. The palace was residence to the Bishop of Lichfield
from the late 1860s until 1954, it is now used by Lichfield Cathedral School. The palace is a Grade I listed building. To the north and east of the house are the remains of the ditch that surrounded the Close, remains of the north east tower are present in the rear garden of the palace and is a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
masons. The building was built in the Queen Anne style
and comprises two storeys with a seven window range, low pitched hipped roof with dormer windows. The front of the house has a symmetrical layout and is topped with a classical pediment over the doorway. As built the palace comprised on the ground floor, a central hall and parlour with a drawing room on the east and a chapel on the west. A bakehouse, brewhouse, and pigsty were built in the north west corner of the grounds, the rest of which was laid out as gardens and a cherry orchard.
In 1868-69 two wings were added to either side of the house and a chapel to the north west angle. The chapel is built in a gothic style
with lancet window
s. All of the original and subsequent buildings are faced in grey Ashlar
stone.
in 1304-14. This building stretched along the east wall of the Close and was enclosed by its own wall. Walter the carpenter and Hugh de la Dale, a mason were responsible for a palace whose great hall was the fifth or sixth largest in England at the time at 100 ft x 56 ft. The hall was probably aisled, with columns supporting an elaborately carved wooden roof admired in 1634 for its gilt carvings. Paintings of the coronation, marriages, wars and funeral of Edward I
decorated the walls and were still visible in the 1590s. The bishop's private quarters lay north of the hall. To the south what was called the Lady's Chamber in 1685 was possibly a reception room. A chapel was built south of the hall, whose east end was a tower protruding from the Close wall. The chapel may have had two storeys: a lower one with access from the passage for the use of servants, and an upper one with access from the Lady's Chamber for the bishop's use. At the south end of the courtyard was a gateway which faced the main, south east entrance of the Close. The palace grounds were entered through a gateway in the south west corner of an inner courtyard.
The original palace was severely damaged during the three sieges of the Cathedral Close in the Civil War
from 1643-46. The building was effectively a shell, all the timber work of the hall and of the chambers at its north end was destroyed and only the stone vault remained. After the was Bishop Hacket
used stone from the building to renovate a house on the south side of the Close as his residence. The only fragment of the medieval palace which survives is the base of a column found in the early 20th century and set up in the garden.
In 1684 an order to rebuild the palace was put forward to Archbishop Sancroft
who delegated the task to Dean Addison
. The site was cleared and construction took 18 months, completed in 1687. When built the Bishops did not want to live there and the palace was let to tenants, one of which was Anna Seward
. The palace once again became the Bishops residence when Bishop Selwyn took occupancy in the late 1860s. Selwyn added a chapel to the north west corner in 1868 and two wings either side of the palace in 1869. The palace remained the bishop’s residence until 1953, when Bishop Reeve moved into Bishop’s House on the south side of the Close, and the palace was vested in the dean and chapter. Since 1954 the palace has been occupied by Lichfield Cathedral School as one of their teaching buildings.
Cathedral Close, Lichfield
The Cathedral Close is a historic set of buildings surrounding Lichfield Cathedral in Lichfield in the United Kingdom. The Close comprises buildings associated with the cathedral and the clergy which encircle the Cathedral...
in Lichfield
Lichfield
Lichfield is a cathedral city, civil parish and district in Staffordshire, England. One of eight civil parishes with city status in England, Lichfield is situated roughly north of Birmingham...
, Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
The current building replaced a medieval Bishop's Palace built in the 14th century for Bishop Langton
Walter Langton
Walter Langton was a bishop of Coventry and Lichfield and treasurer of England.He was probably a native of Langton West in Leicestershire....
. The first palace was destroyed during the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
and rebuilt in 1687 as the current building. The palace was residence to the Bishop of Lichfield
Bishop of Lichfield
The Bishop of Lichfield is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Lichfield in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers 4,516 km² of the counties of Staffordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire and West Midlands. The bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral Church of the Blessed...
from the late 1860s until 1954, it is now used by Lichfield Cathedral School. The palace is a Grade I listed building. To the north and east of the house are the remains of the ditch that surrounded the Close, remains of the north east tower are present in the rear garden of the palace and is a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
Architecture
Construction of the building began in 1686 and was completed in 1687. The architect was Edward Pierce who had previously worked as one of Christopher Wren’sChristopher Wren
Sir Christopher Wren FRS is one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history.He used to be accorded responsibility for rebuilding 51 churches in the City of London after the Great Fire in 1666, including his masterpiece, St. Paul's Cathedral, on Ludgate Hill, completed in 1710...
masons. The building was built in the Queen Anne style
Queen Anne Style architecture
The Queen Anne Style in Britain means either the English Baroque architectural style roughly of the reign of Queen Anne , or a revived form that was popular in the last quarter of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century...
and comprises two storeys with a seven window range, low pitched hipped roof with dormer windows. The front of the house has a symmetrical layout and is topped with a classical pediment over the doorway. As built the palace comprised on the ground floor, a central hall and parlour with a drawing room on the east and a chapel on the west. A bakehouse, brewhouse, and pigsty were built in the north west corner of the grounds, the rest of which was laid out as gardens and a cherry orchard.
In 1868-69 two wings were added to either side of the house and a chapel to the north west angle. The chapel is built in a gothic style
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
with lancet window
Lancet window
A lancet window is a tall narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural motif are most often found in Gothic and ecclesiastical structures, where they are often placed singly or in pairs.The motif first...
s. All of the original and subsequent buildings are faced in grey Ashlar
Ashlar
Ashlar is prepared stone work of any type of stone. Masonry using such stones laid in parallel courses is known as ashlar masonry, whereas masonry using irregularly shaped stones is known as rubble masonry. Ashlar blocks are rectangular cuboid blocks that are masonry sculpted to have square edges...
stone.
History
The first building at this location was built for Bishop LangtonWalter Langton
Walter Langton was a bishop of Coventry and Lichfield and treasurer of England.He was probably a native of Langton West in Leicestershire....
in 1304-14. This building stretched along the east wall of the Close and was enclosed by its own wall. Walter the carpenter and Hugh de la Dale, a mason were responsible for a palace whose great hall was the fifth or sixth largest in England at the time at 100 ft x 56 ft. The hall was probably aisled, with columns supporting an elaborately carved wooden roof admired in 1634 for its gilt carvings. Paintings of the coronation, marriages, wars and funeral of Edward I
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
decorated the walls and were still visible in the 1590s. The bishop's private quarters lay north of the hall. To the south what was called the Lady's Chamber in 1685 was possibly a reception room. A chapel was built south of the hall, whose east end was a tower protruding from the Close wall. The chapel may have had two storeys: a lower one with access from the passage for the use of servants, and an upper one with access from the Lady's Chamber for the bishop's use. At the south end of the courtyard was a gateway which faced the main, south east entrance of the Close. The palace grounds were entered through a gateway in the south west corner of an inner courtyard.
The original palace was severely damaged during the three sieges of the Cathedral Close in the Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
from 1643-46. The building was effectively a shell, all the timber work of the hall and of the chambers at its north end was destroyed and only the stone vault remained. After the was Bishop Hacket
John Hacket
John Hacket was an English churchman, Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry from 1661 until his death.-Life:He was born in London and educated at Westminster and Trinity College, Cambridge. On taking his degree he was elected a fellow of his college, and soon afterwards wrote the comedy, Loiola , which...
used stone from the building to renovate a house on the south side of the Close as his residence. The only fragment of the medieval palace which survives is the base of a column found in the early 20th century and set up in the garden.
In 1684 an order to rebuild the palace was put forward to Archbishop Sancroft
William Sancroft
William Sancroft was the 79th Archbishop of Canterbury.- Life :Sancroft was born at Ufford Hall in Fressingfield, Suffolk, son of Francis Sandcroft and Margaret Sandcroft née Butcher...
who delegated the task to Dean Addison
Joseph Addison
Joseph Addison was an English essayist, poet, playwright and politician. He was a man of letters, eldest son of Lancelot Addison...
. The site was cleared and construction took 18 months, completed in 1687. When built the Bishops did not want to live there and the palace was let to tenants, one of which was Anna Seward
Anna Seward
Anna Seward was an English Romantic poet, often called the Swan of Lichfield.-Life:Seward was the elder daughter of Thomas Seward , prebendary of Lichfield and Salisbury, and author...
. The palace once again became the Bishops residence when Bishop Selwyn took occupancy in the late 1860s. Selwyn added a chapel to the north west corner in 1868 and two wings either side of the palace in 1869. The palace remained the bishop’s residence until 1953, when Bishop Reeve moved into Bishop’s House on the south side of the Close, and the palace was vested in the dean and chapter. Since 1954 the palace has been occupied by Lichfield Cathedral School as one of their teaching buildings.